The chartpack I downloaded for this class was an internet explorer file, not a powerpoint file. Also had this problem with class #2. Classes #3 thru #5 were powerpoint files. Where can I get the powerpoint files for classes 1 and 2?

Can we reuse this material? I mentor a competitive high school robotics team, where we use several types of brushed dc motors. Would like to use this materail to teach them about brushed dc motors, motor selection, etc

Think of a motor as a gear. The farther the magnetic interface from the center of the shaft the more lever arm. So a "pancake" motor will have more power with the same energy than a small cyl. Theoretically... right.

@pauln The magnets are important. In one application the magnet was being slowly demagnetized because we were increasing the drive current too quickly while the motor was under load. It was a low cost motor.

@pauln, A majority of our applications use stepper motors because of the tight control. And in our particular applications we don't require a lot of torque, but do require a fair amount of speed. Can the same level of control be achieved with a brush DC motor and, if so, is there any particular advantage to going that route?

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That picture of the 'Paper-clip Brush DC Motor' (slide 6) looks very similar to one my son made from one of those electric experimenter kits (the picture doesn't show the permanent magnet). And it actually worked.

@johnwolf.lobo, I THINK that spiral cut spreads out the rotor poles for smoother motor rotation. If the poles were straight (lining up in parallel with the stator poles) then I think the motor tends to "cog" to those positions making for "jerky" rotation. (I am not a DC motor expert! It will be interesting to hear the experts' responses.)

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I'm caring the market developing of brush DC motors, due to the brushless motors have more advantages and sharing more and more market, the brush motors were going down. Is that true? What's the better aspect of brush motors than brushless motors?

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

People who want to take advantage of solar energy in their homes no longer need to install a bolt-on solar-panel system atop their houses -- they can integrate solar-energy-harvesting shingles directing into an existing or new roof instead.

Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies. You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived. So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.